--- title: "MuséoParc Alésia: How Long to Visit and What to See" description: "Where Caesar besieged Vercingetorix in 52 BC: museum, Roman siege lines and a Gallo-Roman town. Allow half a day, 1 h 15 from Beaune by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/museoparc-alesia lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/museoparc-alesia.png --- # MuséoParc Alésia > MuséoParc Alésia: the battlefield where Caesar defeated Vercingetorix, with a modern museum, Roman siege works and a Gallo-Roman town. MuséoParc Alésia is in Alise-Sainte-Reine (Côte-d'Or), 1 h 05 by road (83 km) from Beaune. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €230 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. In 52 BC Julius Caesar besieged the Gaulish leader Vercingetorix on Mont Auxois, above the village of Alise-Sainte-Reine. The MuséoParc tells that story in a round museum on the plain, beside full-size reconstructions of the Roman siege lines. On the hilltop above, you can walk the streets of the Gallo-Roman town and meet the famous statue of Vercingetorix. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Alise-Sainte-Reine · Côte-d'Or - Location: 65 km north-west of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.5358, 4.4689 - 1 h 05 from Beaune - Allow 2.5 to 3 hours - Alise-Sainte-Reine - Official website: [alesia.com](https://alesia.com/en/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 05 · 83 km - €230 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 05 by road (83 km), €230 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History Caesar trapped about 80,000 Gaulish foot soldiers on the plateau. His legions built two rings of earthworks: an inner line of about 15 km to hold the besieged, and an outer line of about 21 km against the Gaulish relief army. After about two months, Vercingetorix surrendered. The town was not destroyed. In the 1st century AD a prosperous Gallo-Roman town grew up on the hill, known for its bronze workers, and it lasted until the 5th century. Napoleon III, an admirer of Caesar, ordered excavations here in the 1860s. In 1865 a copper statue of Vercingetorix by Aimé Millet, 6.60 metres tall, was raised on the western tip of the hill, on a pedestal designed by Viollet-le-Duc. The MuséoParc opened in March 2012. Its circular building is by the architect Bernard Tschumi, whose larch lattice recalls the Roman fortifications. Since 2021 it has also displayed a larger selection of finds from the hill. ## What you will see Start in the museum, where more than 600 objects, films and models follow the site from prehistory to the present day. From the roof terrace you look out over the plain and Mont Auxois. Outside, a stretch of the Roman double fortifications has been rebuilt with towers, ditches, sharpened stakes and siege engines. Then drive 3 km up to the hilltop to walk among the foundations of the Gallo-Roman town, with its theatre, forum and craft quarter, and on to the statue. ## Planning your visit Allow at least half a day to see the museum, the fortifications, the Roman town and the statue. The museum is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Beaune, and pairs well with Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, a few minutes away. The hilltop ruins are exposed to sun and wind, so bring a hat or a warm layer. The museum is closed from December to early February, and the hilltop remains are open from April to early November. Please check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? The Vercingetorix statue is hollow, made of beaten copper sheets over a metal frame, like the Statue of Liberty. Its face is said to resemble that of Napoleon III, who commissioned it. ## Around MuséoParc Alésia What to combine with MuséoParc Alésia on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Bussy-Rabutin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bussy-rabutin) (5 km away): The home of a disgraced courtier in exile, painted wall to wall with portraits and mottoes. - [Château de Lantilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lantilly) (7 km away): The 'château of a hundred windows', with 18th-century interiors and a celebrated flowering kitchen garden. - [Château de Marigny-le-Cahouët](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-marigny-le-cahouet) (8 km away): A moated castle of the plain, with towers, a drawbridge and a Gothic Revival gate. ### Things to do - [Les Anis de Flavigny](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/anis-de-flavigny) (5 km away): Aniseed sweets made in a Benedictine abbey, with a Carolingian crypt beneath the workshops. - [Flavigny-sur-Ozerain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/flavigny-sur-ozerain) (5 km away): A walled hilltop village of stone lanes, medieval gates and aniseed sweets, facing the Alésia battlefield. - [Église Saint-Genest de Flavigny-sur-Ozerain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-genest-flavigny) (5 km away): A village church with galleries on two levels, a carved Gothic tribune and a hundred statues, now under restoration inside. ### Events - **The last weekend of August.** · [Mystère de sainte Reine](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mystere-de-sainte-reine): A village pageant retelling the martyrdom of Saint Reine, with torchlit and costumed processions. (Tradition · Alise-Sainte-Reine) ## Questions about MuséoParc Alésia ### How far is MuséoParc Alésia from Beaune? MuséoParc Alésia is about 1 h 05 from Beaune by road (83 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €230 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to MuséoParc Alésia take? For the visit, allow 2.5 to 3 hours. ### When is MuséoParc Alésia open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (alesia.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to MuséoParc Alésia? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:alesia): €230 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: